


Library Magic

by DaughterOfOphelia



Series: Witch Friends [2]
Category: Halloweentown (1998), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 12:59:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14593542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaughterOfOphelia/pseuds/DaughterOfOphelia
Summary: The library is always a magical place, but it's even more so when it's in a magical world.





	Library Magic

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Hermione or Marnie, or Pete (he's from Halloweentown High).   
> I DO own Daniel, and Willow and I love them.   
> I also created this particular library, because none of the magic libraries I've read about felt like they would work.
> 
> This is unbetaed, as always. All mistakes are mine.

 The cool, dry air of the Library fairly glittered with how much magic suffused it. Books floated from one place to another, gilded edges shimmering blue or silver,  according to which ones were being called up, and which ones were being shelved. 

 

 The high vaulted ceiling perpetually showed the night sky, no matter what time of day, and bats swooped in and out of the bell tower. The bell rang on the hour and on the half hour, but most of the students didn't let it disturb them. In fact, half of them didn't seem to worry too much about missing their classes.

 

  Hermione shrugged out of her sweater and tied it around her waist, knotting it to make sure it would stay. She removed her hat and gloves and stashed them in her bag, making a mental note so as not to forget to bring them out again.

 

 The information desk, staffed by a werewolf named Pete, glowed in the corner across from the dropbox where there was a small doll size armchair in which sat one of the librarians, a fairy named Willow.

 

  She'd asked their names last week, when Marnie had first invited her to campus. She'd been pleasantly surprised to see humans and other species coexisting at the university. Marnie told her that species relations had been...Somewhat strained for a few years, but that it had been a misunderstanding.

 

 The oak shelves on the bottom floor - non fiction and reference - were at least twelve feet tall, with stairs that floated you to the top. Movable railings on either side helped to keep your balance. 

 

(Marnie had a similar set in her room that she'd shown Hermione. Of course, hers was almost completely full of fiction, muggle or not.)

 

  The floor was ancient oak, worn down and scratched by centuries of use, with dark blue aisle runners between the shelves.

 

  The central staircase led to the second floor - poetry and rhyme - and then up to the third floor - fiction - the same old oak floor throughout. The color of the carpeted aisles remained the same, though she noticed the some shone more than others. 

 

 The fourth floor was the one Hermione was most interested in though: the old spellbooks. Restricted to all but the teachers, and those who had proper authorization. 

 

  Marnie had explained the reason why; a small amount - though disproportionately more than average - of people had been interested in separating the worlds lately. The last thing they needed was another wizard coming out of the woodwork, so to speak, to create more utter chaos.

 

  According to Marnie, amongst other treasures, the university library had copies of Merlin and Morgana’s spellbooks, a few scrolls that held some of Nimue’s dastardly plans, and supposedly, the spell scrolls Grace O’Malley had taken to sea with her. 

 

 Hermione trailed her fingers lovingly over the banister as she climbed, each carpeted step echoing slightly in the softly humming library.

 

 She paused on the landing in front of another information desk. This particular desk was cedar, the red blond wood shimmering under the old gas lamps, which she figured were kept lit by magic, as there didn't seem to be any pipes for the gas, unless they ran throughout the stone walls themselves.

 

 The librarian at the desk looked up, and Hermione realized she'd momentarily forgot his name.   _ Merlin's beard! What was it? Darryl? No, Daniel! Daniel's his name. _

 

 Marnie had introduced him last week as well. He was dressed the age he looked today - approximately early twenties - in properly fitted jeans, a band t-shirt (Which she'd been told he'd made himself, because there weren't all that many people that actually remembered that particular band), and a dark red plaid flannel shirt layered with a leather jacket.

 

  Hermione had to admit the flannel certainly brought out the russet undertones in his skin, a shade darker than hers. Thick framed glasses with bifocal lenses pushed up to the top of his nose were smudged with errant fingerprints, and then removed with a scowl and a sigh to be cleaned while squinting. 

 

_ Apparently you can still have bad eyesight if you're one of the undead, that's good to know! _

 

 Scuffed up boots and long, black hair in multiple braids - some of which had small beads in them - that fell to halfway down his back completed the picture of someone her mother would have sworn would never step into a library of his own volition, let alone work in one.

 

   Marnie came up the stairs behind her, her pointed boots, cloak, pinned up hair and pointed hat telling that she'd probably just been in one of the classes she was now helping to teach. According to her, it was easier to get and hold the attention of the history students if the teachers and TAs occasionally dressed up for the lessons, now that everyone was wearing “mortal" clothes.

 

 “Hey Dan! What's with the costume?” Marnie smiled, the light reaching her eyes and lighting up her whole face.

  He looked at her and grinned, pointed canines glistening in the warm light. 

“I'm heading to the Mortal world after my shift, to see a gig with a friend. He requested I dress casually, if I was afraid I wouldn't fit in. I'm not quite certain this is what he had in mind, but I like it.”

   Daniel turned his attention to Hermione and asked her, “What do you think, Hermione?” He looked her up and down, apparently taking in her white blouse, jeans, scuffed blue trainers, and the dark blue sweater tied around her waist.

His voice was shockingly smooth, a lilt she couldn't place with a light inflection on his vowels. Her face grew warm, and her heart sped up by a few beats as he waited for her answer.

She cleared her throat before she spoke, “I think you'll fit in perfectly. The jacket’s a nice touch.”

Daniel chuckled, his brown eyes flashing a light gold for a brief fraction of a second. “Why, thank you. I found this at a thrift shop, left over from someone's estate sale.” He sobered slightly, though his smile remained on his face. “Now what can I do for you ladies today?”

Marnie answered him with a slight roll of her eyes and a smile. “I was going to show ‘Mione a few things for a project she's working on. Here's my badge number.”

 He scanned it into the - miraculously working, she really would have to study those -  computer, and the door opened and emitted a soft, golden light.

“Have fun.” His eyes glittered with mischief. “Don't get lost now.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you made it down here, hopefully that means you liked it!  
> If you did, feel free to find me as daughter-of-ophelia on tumblr.  
> I usually cross post there (even though I didn't for my last few drabbles, whoops!)


End file.
